Suntai Moved to US Hospital

Governor, Danbaba Danfulani Suntai

Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, who has been receiving treatment in a German hospital after surviving a plane crash has been moved to the United States of America for further medical treatment.  Suntai, who has been on admission at the German hospital since October last year, two days after the plane he was piloting crashed near Yola, Adamawa State, was transferred to John Hopkins Hospital, U.S. last Wednesday where he is expected to receive better medical treatment.

Prof Zakare Yusufu Aliyu, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Specialist Hospital, Jalingo revealed this yesterday when he appeared before an ad-hoc committee set-up by the State House of Assembly to unravel the motive behind a press interview granted by the CMD on the governor’s state of health and published in a national daily on 7th of March, 2012 noted that Suntai and himself had visited the John Hopkins hospital for treatment severally before he was involved in the plane crash.

A Professor of Medicine and Chief Consultant Physician to Suntai,  Zakare  was questioned by the Assembly on the propriety of granting the interview where he divulged information on the true state of the governor as well as contravening civil service rules and procedures.

He explained that his motive for giving information of the true state of Suntai’s health in the interview was for Suntai to get the best medical treatment in the world, adding that he was not completely satisfied with the condition he met Suntai when he visited him in Germany between 14th -16th of December 2012 and wanted him moved to a better facility. He insisted that as a physician, the health of his patient was paramount to him.

The CMD, who noted that what he disclosed in the contentious report was not up to one per cent of the information he gathered when he visited Suntai in the hospital further disclosed that he wrote a memo dated 5th of February, 2013 to the acting governor of the state, Alhaji Garba Umar on arrival from Germany where he suggested that the governor be moved to the US.

Earlier, the Deputy Speaker, Hon Abel Peter Diah, who presided over the session and the Chairman of the committee, Hon. Edward Baraya told Prof Zakare and the public who filled the gallery of the Assembly to the brim that the aim of the Assembly was not to prosecute anybody but to put things right especially to unravel the motive behind the report.

Diah noted that the Assembly derives its power from section 103, 128 and 129 of the 1999 constitution as amended stressing that the report of the committee would be presented to the entire House to deliberate on and take appropriate decision on the matter.